Simulated log serving bar



Nov. 14, 1950 F. L. ERICKSON SIMULATED LOG SERVING BAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1947 w .p R mm 0 C m 6 WE I 4 L. 2 M v M .3 p Y In B 3 M 0 3 3 5 Z rm w. l

H TTOR/VEVS Nov. 14, 1950 F. ERICKSON 2,530,120

SIMULATED LOG SERVING BAR Filed Jan. 3, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FERN L. ERICKSON Z M 2 6M :4 7' TORNE Y5 Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

Thi invention relates to upright structures and particularly to a serving bar formed of hollow cylindrical members.

An important object of this invention is to provide a novel structure intended especially for a serving bar which may be easily assembled upon a floor and provided with a horizontal supporting surface or bar top upon which glasses, bottles and thelike may be laid for the serving of drinks. Another important object of the invention is to provide such a structure composed of relatively light weight hollow or tubular members arranged in a novel interfitting manner to provide a strong and sturdy construction and which is appealing to the eye. A further important object of the invention is to provide a novel serving bar formed of hollow cylindrical members composed of inexpensively manufactured cardboard containers, either in new or used condition which are assembled together in contiguous relation to form the front and at least one side of a bar and over the outer surfaces of which is applied coating material simulating a log design.

In carrying out the invention, the hollow cylindrical containers or drums out of which the serving bar is made are preferably all of one diameter. One set of such members are arranged with their axes in a horizontal direction and are brought up into substantial abutment to form the base of the bar. Another set of such members are arranged with their axes extendin in a vertical direction and are brought up into side-by-side substantially abutting relation to form a row superimposed upon the base members. The set of vertical members are cut away along their bottom ends for a novel interfitting engagement with the base members. Certain of the vertical members are cut away intermediate their ends on one side of the serving bar to provide openings thereinto and novel means is associated with these openings to provide shelves in these members. One side of the bar may be provided with two swinging gate members which are formed in a novel manner of hollow cylindrical members similar to those composing the front wall and other wall sections of the bar.

An important feature of the invention is the structural characteristic whereby the. serving bar may be broken down into a number of smaller units to facilitate shipment or transfer from one place to another and which are capable of being easily assembled and erected by purchasers and users of the equipment. The structure is light in weight and the separate .units are easily handled and secured to one another.

Other objects, advantages and meritorious features will become more fully'apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanyin drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a serving bar constructed in accordance with the invention showing the same disposed before a basement wall,

Fig. 2 is a top plane view of the serving bar shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an end view of the serving bar taken alon line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the swinging gate provided for entering the area behind the bar,

Fig. is an end view of the serving bar taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the manner of constructing the same,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view throughthe serving bar taken along line 5--5 of Fig. 4 illustrating the manner of. interfitting the hollow cylindrical members and the interior arrangement of the vertical member.

Figs. 6 and '7 are perspective views of separate articles made out of the cylindrical members of which the serving bar is composed, and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional along line 8-8 of Fig, 2. r

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the serving bar comprises a front wall section generally indicated at It] and two side wall sections generally indicated at l2 and I4 extending perpendicularly rearwardly therefrom. However, if desired, the bar may be in other shapes such as straight, L-shaped or horse-shoe formation. One side section M of the illustrated embodiment is formed similarly to the front section. The other side section l2 includes two swinging gate members for gaining access to the rear of the bar. It is understood that the side section containing the gate members may correspond to the opposite section I4 if desired and that access to the area behind thebar may be from the rear. The serving bar herein illustrated as being disposed immediately forwardly of a house wall I6, which may be a basement wall, with the front section It. in spaced parallel relation thereto and the side sections abutting thereto.

The serving bar .is formed in the main of hollow tubular or cylindrical members interfittingly assembled together .to form a sturdy structure.

view

Preferably, the hollow cylindrical members are,

containers or drums formed entirely offiber. or cardboard material. These are standard com.- mercial articles primarily 7 used for shipping granular or powdered I material and, although new drums may be utilized, it is preferred from the cost standpoint to employ used discarded drums of this character. The drums preferred for the bar have a diameter of 14 inches and are 30 inches high. Other sizes may be used if desired.

Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown a longitudinal sectional view through one such cylindrical member generally indicated at 18 superimposed upon a second cylindrical member of like character. Each member comprises a circular side wa1l20 of cardboard or the like and closed at both ends by end walls 22 of cardboard or material similar to the side walls. In Fig. 5, the bottom end member has been removed to provide interfitting engagement with a horizontally laid cylindrical member as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The drums preferred for the bar structure are originally made with a transverse dividing wall 24 to prevent intermixture of two separate content materials. Drums may be used without this separating wall, if desired, and where a shelf is desired, as will be described hereinafter, a discshaped element correspondingto the dividing wall 24 may be inserted for this purpose.

Generally the bar structure comprises a set of such cylindrical members l8 arranged with their axes extending in a vertical direction and brought into substantially side-by-side abutting relation. A second set of such members are arranged with their axes extending in a horizontal direction and brought into substantially end-to-end abutting relationship. One set is superimposed upon the other to obtain the desired height. Referring to Fig. l, the members composing vertically arranged set are indicated at 26 those composing the horizontally arranged set are indicated at 28. The latter is laid with their sides restingon the floor to form the base or bottom portion of the serving bar. The first set consisting of the upright members is superimposed upon the bottom set for support therefrom but are removable as a unit therefrom.

. To provide a sturdy assembly, the upright members 26 are shaped in a novel manner for interfitting engagement with the base membersZB. This is preferably accomplished by removing the normally closed end wall 22 along the bottomof each member and cutting away arcuate portions on diametrically opposite sides of these members along the bottom so that the front and rear bottom edge portions may overlap upon the circular sides 20 of the bottom members 28 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Preferably the members 26 are cut away on diametrically opposite arcs, one of which is shown at 29 in Fig. 5, conforming to the curvature of the side walls of the base members 28 so that the former may seat on the latter in contiguous relation thereto. If the diameter of the members is 14 inches as previously mentioned, the axes upon which the bottom edges of the members 26 are cut away preferably have a radius of inches, although this dimension may be varied to alter the height of the bar or to change the outside appearance of the structure.

' As indicated in Fig. 4, the side section M of the bar structure is constructed similar to the front section l0. At the juncture or corner formed by the front and side sections, thebase members 28 are preferably so laid that the forward end of the row forming the base of the side section is exposed to View on the front side of the structure as indicated in Fig. 1. The base member 28 abutting the corner base member 28 of the side section is cut away on opposite sides on arcs which enables it to partially embrace the corner base rear of the bar.

member of the side section in substantial abutment therewith as is evident in Fig. 1. The opposite corner of the front side of the bar is similarly formed so that both forward ends of the base members 28 of the side sections are exposed to view. The end walls 22 of these members are retained in place and form supports for a foot rail 30 extending across the front of the bar. Suitable brackets 32 connect the ends of the rail to the walls 22 of the corner members 28 for support therefrom in spaced relation to the front side of the bar. Intermediate rail supporting brackets 34 may be employed to connect the middle portions of the rail to the base members 28 of the front section. A foot rail 36 similarly supported may be installed along the bottom of the side section M of the structure.

As previously mentioned, the side section 52 of the illustrated embodiment of the invention is constructed so as to provide swinging gate members for the purpose of gaining access to the Two swinging gate members are employed as shown at 38 and GB in Figs. 2 and 3. Preferably these gate members are formed of the same type of drums !8 previously described. One drum for example is longitudinally divided into two equal sized semi-circular parts and one of these parts represented by the gate member 38 is hinged at 42 to the end member 26 of the front section i5 and the other part represented by the gate member 40 is hinged at 44 to a supporting structure abutting the wall 16. The latter may be composed of parts of drums cut down to provide a vertically extending drum section 45 superimposed on a horizontally laid drum section 58. The curved portions of the gate members 38 and 63 are preferably arranged to face outwardly as shown in Fig. 2 and each is capable of swinging about its respective hinges inwardly and outwardly of the bar structure. Under the gate members, the members28 formingthe base of the side section :2 are cut away to provide an entrance.

Extending across the upper ends of the vertical members 25 of the front section ID and the side section M of the bar is an elongated fiat surfaced member 50 forming the table top of. the bar. Along the inner edge of the table top there may extend aslightly channel-shaped strip 52 .to form a support for glasses in accordance with conventional bar designs.

The outside surfaces of the cylindrical members 2S and 28 may be coated with any suitable material to resemble cut logs. The log eifect may be obtained for example by painting the exterior surfaces of the members 26 and 28 with ivory enamel paint, and when dry, applying burnt amber in daubs which is wiped off in an upand down motion to the desired shade. Knots may be painted in to more fully simulate a log bar. Other finishes may be used to effect the desired design.

Preferably several of the upright members 26 are cut away along the inside of the bar above the separating wall 24 which was originally provided in the commercial drums used for erecting the bar. Referring to Fig. 5, one such member is shown cut away at 54 to provide an opening on the rear side of the cylindrical member over the dividing wall 24. The latter serves as a shelf for containing bottles, glasses and other bar equipment. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, two such members in the front section if) and in the side section M are so cut away to form the shelf provision. Where drums or kegs are used material.

which do not contain a dividing wall, a disc shaped member corresponding to the inner dimentions of the drums may be installed to form the shelves. In order to illuminate the shelf and to provide a soft glow of light on the rear side of the bar it is preferred to mount small electric lights in the hollow interiors of the members 28 which are cut away as at 54. One such electric light for this purpose is indicated at 56 in Fig. 5.

As previously mentioned, the vertical members 26 are removable as a unit from the horizontal member 28. blies 5'! (Fig. 8) may be provided for connecting the abutting sides of the vertical members 28 together to hold them in line as a unit or to provide detachment for securing the members together in any desired sequence. The concave bottoms of the members 2% will normally support these members upon the base members 28 but if desired inconspicuous wood screws such as that shown at 59 (Fig. 3) may be used to connect the overlapping bottom portions of the vertical members to the sides of the base members. The table top 59 is removable as a unit and when installed in place it is preferably secured to the upper ends of the members 26 by suitable detachable fastening means such as the L-shaped brackets 81. When so connected it will hold the upright members 25 in alignment and rigidify the entire structure.

The drums or containers forming the major portion of the serving bar may also be used for making various auxiliary equipment associated with a bar of this character. For example, a drum may be split longitudinally into equal parts to form shelves as well as a wall decoration behind the bar. As illustrated in Fig. 1 the two parts of such a split drum are shown mounted upon the back wall 56 at 6969. These drum sections are mounted on the wall with their rounded sides facing thereto so that the interior of the drum sections are exposed. The intermediate dividing wall 62 and the bottom end wall portion 22 of each drum section serve as shelves upon which articles may be placed. Fig. 6 shows a small seat 84 formed from the drum over the upper end of which is stretched a padded leatherette sheet 86 or other suitable Fig. 7 illustrates a magazine rack 68 formed from one of the drums. It is cut away above the dividing wall M which corresponds to the separating wall 24 previously described, to provide two upright sections Hi-79 on opposite sides of the rack. These are joined at their upper ends by a cross member 12 which originally was one of the end walls 22 of the drum cut down to substantially the width of the upright sections Hi-J9. Magazines and the like may be inserted between the cross member 72 and the dividing wall 14.

What I claim is:

1. An upright structure adapted to form a serving bar comprising, in combination, a floor engaging base formed of a plurality of hollow cylindrical members composed of cardboard material arranged with their axes extending in a horizontal direction and abutting one another to form the bottom of the front and at least one side of a serving bar, a plurality of similarly shaped hollow cylindrical members composed of cardboard material arranged with their axes extending in-a vertical direction and abutting one another in side-by-side relationship to form the Suitable wing nut and bolt assemupright front and at least one side of the serving bar, said vertical axially extending mem bers superimposed upon said base forming members and having the lower ends thereof cut away on opposite sides thereof on transversely extending arcs conforming to the curvature of the base members and seated thereon in overlapping contiguous relation thereto, certain of said vertical axially extending members also being cut away on one side of the serving bar intermediate their ends to form an opening thereinto, a transverse element having a flat upper surface in each of said members so provided with an opening arranged at a level below the opening to form a shelf therein, and a table top bridging the upper ends of said vertical axially extending members along the front and at least one side of the serving bar.

2. A serving bar comprising, in combination, a set of hollow fiber board drums arranged in endwise abutting relationship with their axes extending horizontally and adapted to engage a floor to form the base of the front of the bar, a set of similar hollow fiber board drums for each side of the bar arranged in endwise relation to one another with their axes extending horizontally and adapted to engage a floor to form the base of each side of the bar, said front and side sets of drums abutting one another to form the corners at each end of the bar, the drums on the forward end of each side set of drums being exposed on the front of the bar and closed by an end wall member, a foot rail extending the length of the front of the bar, brackets carried by said end wall members of the forward drums of each side set of drums and supporting the foot rail in slightly spaced parallel relation to the front set of drums, a plurality of similar hollow fiber board drums having their axes extending vertically and superimposed upon the front and side base forming drums, said vertically extending drums along the front and at least one side of the bar arranged in side-by-side abutting relationship, a

' table top conforming in formation to the front and at least one side of the bar, means for detachably securing the table top in position upon the upper ends of said vertically extending abutting drums, the bottom ends of each of said vertically extending drums being cut away on diametrically opposed arcs conforming to the curvature of the base forming drum upon which it is superimposed and contiguously overlapping the same, one or more of said vertical drums being cut away intermediate their ends on the rear side of the bar to, form an opening into the hollow interior thereof, and a transverse member in each of said vertical drums so cut away to form said openings arranged at a level lmmediately below the opening therein to serve as a shelf.

FERN L. ERICKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,033,711 Leland July 23, 1912 1,367,948 Curtin Feb. 8, 1921 1,971,994 Smith Aug. 28, 1934 2,113,995 Salvage Apr. 12, 1938 2,265,671 Quadri Dec. 9, 1941 

